Category: Piano Teaching

Some new piano students ask me this when we first meet,
“Do I really have to read music? I just want to play the piano.”
My answer is, “yes and no”.
It depends on what you want to learn and play.
There are a lot of great musicians who never learn to read music and yet they play marvellously. And then there are a lot of other great musicians who learn to read music and they play spectacularly.
The first group of musicians is usually in the jazz/blues/pop/world music genre. They play by ear, they understand music differently the way those who read music. They usually improvise and create music more freely.
The second group of musicians is the classically trained ones. These musicians learnt to read since they were young. They went through all the strict and traditional training. They understand music deeply and through various means. It is not just the reading that they need to learn, but they also know the theory, form and structure behind those notes. All these help them listen and play better.
So, if you want to just play pop music and never care to bother with the classical pieces, then “no” I say you probably don’t really need to read music at all, and find someone who can teach you just like that (not the strictly classical piano teachers because they probably don’t know what to do with you!). But, if you ever want to learn something more complicated like a prelude and fugue by Bach or a nocturne by Chopin, then “yes” you would want to learn how to read.
I always compare music learning to language learning. It’s really quite similar. Did you learn to read English? I am sure you did because you are now reading my article :) Did you ever wonder, “can I learn to speak English without learning to read English?” It sounds absurd. But the truth is, I bet you learnt to speak before you actually read it – you would probably know more words in your speech way ahead of your reading. It’s the chicken and egg theory.
For me, I love to read (I’m an absolute bookworm). So I love to read music as well. I devoured a lot of new music just by playing through them the first second I see them. It’s an amazing feeling to have the ability to be able to sight-read in no time. It’s a lot of fun. But at the same time I like how some jazz and blues musicians who can improvise like mad – that’s really amazing to watch and listen to as well.
In fact, I started improvising (and composing) a few years ago. At first, I found it hard to play random things because I was so used to read everything from the score and play exactly that. I was a bit “confused” (a popular word commonly used by my students). I was feeling that I couldn’t make mistake or “ugly sound” like that as I improvised, “that’s embarrassing!”. But I got over it, that’s the only way to learn to play differently. And it got better and was a lot of fun since then.
Now I learn to play some blues because it’s just fun to learn something new, and I get to teach students that. For me, it’s not about just strictly “how you must read!” or “it doesn’t matter whether you read or not”, it’s rather what benefits that student the most. After all, music is about enjoyment (not so much for professional musicians all the time! Just like anyone in their field doing it professionally). It’s about people expressing themselves and sharing it with others. Of course there are times it’s challenging in the process of learning – there are obstacles and hurdles, there are setbacks and disappointment. But most important of all, we make progress by making mistakes, getting over them and moving onward and forward.
With the new students, I combine listening and reading. Learning by rote is important for any beginners. With listening, memorizing patterns by sight and sound, as well as remembering notes one or two at a time, students make progress very quickly. It’s important for students to gain confidence by being able to play something simply successfully at the beginning, that sense of enjoyment and satisfaction, knowing that they can actually play the piano and make music, is the motive that moves them forward and keep learning.
I could go on and on about music learning and piano playing, but I shall stop here and continue with another post on how teachers can motivate students in a positive direction with very simple cues in their piano journey.
Teresa Wong

1. Read the Official Syllabus

Read the syllabus carefully: everything is written out very clearly in the syllabus provided by the music exam board you’re taking exam with, from the repertoire list, to time limit, writing format and word count. Go to the relevant link for your piano diploma:

2. Choose a Well-balanced Program

It is advised to choose a program that includes pieces of not only from different musical periods but also varieties in musical styles and technical command. So think tempo contrast, different genres and structures (sonata/character piece/technical piece/fugue).

3. Show Your Strength and Hide Your Weakness

The recital program is for you to SHINE, to show your performance ability and musical understanding, rather than displaying your shortcomings in commanding a piece or two. Know your strength – usually your teacher (if you have one) would know quite well what that would be. Explore your ability and learn to perform pieces of higher level of difficulties is commendable, but knowing your limit is worth noting especially for exam purpose.

4. Combine Interest and Mastery in Your Exam Pieces

Choosing pieces you would like to learn is very important – but so is choosing pieces you CAN perform them technically and musically to the level of the diploma exam required. Do not choose pieces just because they are popular or technically demanding, but at the same time do not choose some music simply because they are obscure thinking the examiners have never heard and do not know how to mark them (think “new music”) – if that ever happens I suppose you as the candidate would not understand how to play it either! And don’t forget you have to talk about them if you’re taking any diploma exams with the ABRSM!

5. Understand the Difficulty when Preparing for a Diploma Exam

Preparing for a performance exam at a diploma level (whether ATCL/dipABRSM or higher) is a huge step up from grade 8 level – you have to not only learn how to play the piece but also really present the pieces at the performance level that a diploma requires. It’s a PERFORMANCE not just an exam.

Give time to prepare for it. Listen to a lot of performances, read a lot about the music, the history and the composer (you can find a lot of information online or at your local library). Find a great teacher to help you: even if it’s not regular lessons, take some lessons from a teacher or two to get advice and suggestions on your performance would really help you improve and be prepared for the exam.

Good luck to all of you who are preparing for your upcoming piano diploma. Enjoy the process and have fun with it!

Today I want to explain to you how online piano lessons work. In fact it is very simple.

First, you need three tools.

The first tool is your piano.

The second tool is your phone or computer: this way we can see each other online.

The third tool is a good internet connection. There is a fourth tool which is microphone, but it’s not an compulsory item.

Let me now tell you how you can set up for your online piano lessons.

First of all, you need to sit in front of your piano. Place your phone or computer next to the piano. The best position is that I can see your hands (and forearms) at the keyboard.

You can use any online video chat app like WeChat, facetime, Skype, whatsapp. Here you can see me and my piano. This is how I show how to improve my piano performance. If you have any questions about online piano lessons, simulation tests or intensive exam improvement programs, please leave a message or email me. See you next time!

When I set up my own music teaching studio, I also experienced a difficult period. It took a lot of effort to achieve that dream, but most importantly, it took me a long time to find a real direction to build a successful music teaching studio. After the solid establishment of my music teaching studio, it was very satisfying in many ways. I wish there were someone who could guide me and teach me how to do it, so I wouldn’t have wasted so much time searching for ways to build the studio I really wanted, so that I could focus on music and teaching.

I know that I can help you: the “How to Build a Successful Music Teaching Studio” course is designed to change the way you – and many teachers who are passionate about music and teaching- teach and shape a music teaching career that you have always wanted . I like to take away your frustration and struggle, so that you can focus on contributing your effort to our local music teaching community. We need the best teachers like you to teach the next generation of students.

Note: This only applies to private music teaching; if you want to start a bigger teaching business, please contact us directly for one-on-one business coaching courses.

The new 2019 Trinity Performance Diplomas syllabus will be published on 18 October 2018.

The new syllabus features the majority of the pieces from the current 2009-2018 syllabus*, which means candidates can continue to prepare for their examination whichever date they choose. We have also added a wealth of new pieces that we know candidates will want to play and teachers want to teach. In addition the new syllabus features revised written programme requirements at ATCL and LTCL levels, and updated assessment criteria providing more detailed guidance on how exams are marked. Performance requirements, including own-choice options, will remain largely unchanged. Further details about syllabus changes will be released soon.

The 2009-2018 syllabus will be extended until 31 July 2019. The new syllabus will be used from 1 August 2019 onwards.

Please note that there will be no overlap between syllabuses, so all exams from 1 August 2019 onwards will follow the 2019 syllabus.

*A small number of existing pieces from the 2009-2018 syllabus are being removed.